| Title: |
The Non-Deterministic Path to Concurrency -- Exploring How Students Understand the Abstractions of Concurrency |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Strömbäck, Filip; Mannila, Linda; Kamkar, Mariam |
| Source: |
Informatics in Education. 2021 20(4):683-715. |
| Availability: |
Vilnius University Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. Akademjos str. 4, Vilnius LT 08663 Lithuania. Tel: +37-5-21-09300; Fax: +37-5-27-29209; e-mail: info@mii.vu.lt; Web site: https://infedu.vu.lt/journal/INFEDU |
| Peer Reviewed: |
Y |
| Page Count: |
33 |
| Publication Date: |
2021 |
| Document Type: |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research |
| Education Level: |
Higher Education; Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: |
College Students; Programming; Programming Languages; Concept Formation; Computer Science Education; Problem Solving; Foreign Countries; Tests; Misconceptions; Validity |
| Geographic Terms: |
Sweden |
| ISSN: |
1648-5831 |
| Abstract: |
Concurrency is often perceived as difficult by students. One reason for this may be due to the fact that abstractions used in concurrent programs leave more situations undefined compared to sequential programs (e.g., in what order statements are executed), which makes it harder to create a proper mental model of the execution environment. Students who aim to explore the abstractions through testing are further hindered by the non-determinism of concurrent programs since even incorrect programs may seem to work properly most of the time. In this paper we aim to explore how students' understanding these abstractions by examining 137 solutions to two concurrency questions given on the final exam in two years of an introductory concurrency course. To highlight problematic areas of these abstractions, we present alternative abstractions under which each incorrect solution would be correct. |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Entry Date: |
2022 |
| Accession Number: |
EJ1329339 |
| Database: |
ERIC |